Sonic the Hedgehog: Off to a Sonic Start
by Maria Kintobor
Summary: This is how Sonic the Hedgehog began his neverending battle against Dr. Robotnik, a.k.a. Eggman.
1. Chapter 1

Sonic the Hedgehog: Off to a Sonic Start

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:  
In the first chapter, this may seem like another "Sonic VS Eggman" battle, but in the next chapter, you'll learn the backstories of Sonic and Dr. Eggman! At least, from my point of view. In the meantime, let's set the scene. For starters, I'm giving Sonic and Eggman their looks for "Sonic Adventure" and beyond even though their origins prior doesn't reflect this. Oh, and Sonic sometimes calls the evil doc by his real name, Dr. Robotnik, as the hedgehog and his (future) friends do in all my other Sonic fics, while Eggman is a just his nickname. I also gave Sonic the ability to use martial arts in battles. I prefer this for Sonic over his spin dash and homing attack. Eggman's Egg Mobile is based off his "Sonic X" one since I can envision that one best. As for Sonic, his light dash is out due to the fact that I never have any rings from the games in my stories. But he does grind down rails, vines, logs, and branches like he does in "Sonic Adventure 2" and other games after that. (No soap shoes required though.) And, to give Sonic an anime feel (well, he does come from Japan, you know: The birthplace of anime!), all anime emotion "enhancements" will be in bold. Makes the fic more humorous, don't you think? One more thing, Sonic narrates in this and future chapters, so, his narration will be in italic. Now, that we've covered the basics, it's time to get this party started! LET THE GAMES BEGIN! (Pun intended.)

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a planet called Earth, a nice little blue planet floating about in space. Our story begins on this little planet and the setting is rather peaceful. A fun-loving, yet friendly voice narrates.

_Earth, a lovely little planet, a nice place for us to live on. Of course, it's the _only_ place we live in since we haven't found life on other planets_…_ yet._

We quickly zoom in closer to this planet to a factory out in a forest. (Don't ask.) This place is on a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

_Now, there are some people who want to control this_ _planet…_

Inside this factory, a lot of small red bald-headed robots are standing guard at two sides of the room, each in a straight line against a wall they are in front of. In the middle of the room, silver metallic limbs go down four conveyor belts, each leading to a machine with blinking light bulbs on top, thermostat-like indicators on the front, and a slot big enough for the limbs to go through. There is a long grater-like balcony at one of the ends of the room which the small red robots don't stand guard in front of. The balcony hangs a few feet over the room and is very thin. It has stairs leading to the floor and the balcony connects from one side of the room where the robots stand guard to the other where the other red robots are.

…_become its supreme leader for their own personal gain._

On said balcony walks a tall round figure.

_People like…_

The figure stops in the middle of the balcony and looks down at the metallic limbs on the conveyor belts, coming into the light. The light reveals the figure to a tall round bald-headed male human adult with peach colored skin, a fuzzy auburn mustache under his pinkish nose, and a wide white toothy mischievous grin. He wears gray goggles on top of his bald head and thick purple glasses over his eyes, tinted so that no one knows what his eyes look like. (How he is able to see through _those_ glasses is beyond me.) Over his body is a red long-sleeved shirt with a short white zipper, a long matching stripe down the back, matching stripes on the side of each sleeve, four white solid stripes across his chest and back with gold square buttons at the end of the stripes with two to a side of the zipper, two white round buttons on front at the bottom with one to each side, tuxedo-like tails on the back at the bottom, and yellow sleeve cuffs. Also on his round body and his thin legs are long black pants which his shirt is on top of, but slightly shows on the front beneath the zipper. (His arms are just as thin by the way.) He also wears white leather gloves and black boots which seem attached to his pants. (I wonder how he takes them off.) His name is…

…_Robotnik._

…Dr. Robotnik to be more precise. Although, he is also often refered to as "Eggman", mostly because of his round body. Even so, he seems to favor either name.

Eggman exclaims proudly, "Ah, yes. The construction's coming along nicely." He gloats, "Very soon, I will have more than enough robots for my army and the Eggman Empire shall be born!"

He laughs loudly.

A voice interrupts Eggman's laughter, "Don't be too sure of yourself, doc!"

(This is the same voice that narrated the opening to this story.) Eggman gasps in surprise upon hearing this. Eggman looks up in the direction of the voice which is coming from a corner near and over the balcony. The guard robots do the same. In that corner is a fifteen-year-old blue anthropomorphic hedgehog with green eyes, a long black nose, and peach colored skin on his muzzle, arms, and belly. He wears white gloves, matching socks, and red sneakers, each with a white stripe going across his foot and a gold buckle at the outer end of the stripe. He looks at Eggman with his arms folded and a sly smile on his face.

"It's just like you: Having _all_ your robots do the dirty work for you," the hedgehog teases.

He winks.

Eggman screams, "Sonic?!" He angrily growls as he points at the hedgehog, "Get him!"

The red bald-headed robots, known as Egg Pawns, quickly bring out their red laser rifles and shoot at the hedgehog who, in a blue streak, rushes out of the way. The Egg Pawns stop firing in time to notice the hedgehog had moved. Eggman also notices this in surprise. Just then, they all curiously hear a whistle coming from the machine the conveyor belts lead to. They look in the direction of the whistle to find the hedgehog, who Eggman called Sonic (which is the hedgehog's name by the way), sitting on top of the machine, teasingly waving at them. Eggman angrily growls and points at Sonic, motioning the Egg Pawns to go after the blue hedgehog.

**A red vein sticks out of his forehead.**

The Egg Pawns run toward the machine and Sonic jumps off, which makes the Egg Pawns stop and look at him going over them through his jump. He lands in front of them and, with a determined frown on his face, punches one Egg Pawn back and knocks another one down with a breakdance-like kick. The Egg Pawns come toward him as he does a martial arts fighting stance. The sly grin quickly comes to his face. He twirl-jumps up and some of the Egg Pawns crash into each other while the other Egg Pawns just stop and look at Sonic who lands on top of the heap of broken robots as he stops spinning. The remaining Egg Pawns come after him, but he jumps down and lays damage on them by punching and kicking them. The punches knock some down to the floor while the kicks send the others across the room toward any of the walls. Eggman angrily growls at this and bangs his fist against a red button on the wall behind him.

**A red vein sticks out of his forehead.**

This causes a warehouse gate to open up and out comes some red robotic falcons called Falcos, flying toward Sonic. Sonic notices this with a gasp in shock. He looks at the machine and then, quickly develops a sly grin. He looks back at the Falcos as they start firing laser shots at him, but he jumps up away from the blasts. He lands on top of one of the Falcos and starts to ride it like a hover board. The other Falcos turn around and fly after him. He manuvers his way around the room with the Falcos close behind. He dodges the laser blasts the Falcos shoot. He smiles as he approaches the machine. Then, he jumps off the Falco he was riding and they all hit the machine, causing it to explode. Sonic meanwhile lands safely on the floor. Then, he rushes out of the room.

Eggman notices this and screams in horror, "Aah!"

Then, Eggman "scrambles" across the balcony, trying to escape. Later, outside, Eggman, looking annoyed at Sonic, flies out of the factory in a little round steel flying metallic dish called the Egg Mobile. The Egg Mobile has a green headlight with a red rim around it, red wings on the sides, and a long red rod sticking out of the bottom. He flies away from sight. Suddenly, the factory windows explode with fire and smoke quickly rises out of the chimneys. Sonic looks on while standing atop a branch of an oak tree, far from the now ruined factory. Sonic narrates.

_How could he do this? How could he be so cruel?!_

Sonic sits down on the branch with a relieved sigh.

_I still can't believe he would act this way, just like that._

He takes a picture out of his "pocket" and looks at it, worriedly.

_And we _used_ to be such good friends._

The picture is of him when he was younger and of Eggman in a white lab coat with a visor on his head in place of the googles. Eggman was holding Sonic in his arms and they were happy.

_It all started years ago, when I was still a kid…_

A/N:  
See? Told ya their origins would be revealed next chapter. So, 'til then, let me know how you like it thus far.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:  
This is it, readers, the chapter you've been waiting for: This is how it all began! I give you my version of Sonic's and Dr. Eggman's backstories! I know these stories have been told before in quite a few different versions, but I thought I'd give my take for the "Sonic Adventure" generation. As explained in the previous chapter, I'm giving Sonic and Eggman their looks for "SA" and beyond even though their origins prior doesn't reflect this. For Sonic's beginnings, I made Green Hill Zone (from his self-titled first game) into a village like Knothole Village (from the US Archie comics and Saturday morning DIC cartoon series), so, his birthplace is Green Hill Village. (Please don't blast me.) For Eggman's beginnings, however, I mixed elements from his previous backstories in the comics from both the US (Archie) and the UK (Fleetway): How the doc came to Sonic's home village is based on the Archie comics description while the doc turning evil is from the Fleetway comics version. Also, I decided to use the doc's first name in the US back in the old school days, Ivo. But instead of using it as the evil dictator he became like the games did, I'm using it as his first name before he became evil. Yet, there is one thing these two origins I'm adapting from have in common with each other which I'm also using for this fic: the doc was once kind-hearted Dr. Kintobor, but reverses his last name when he turns evil. (Kintobor/Robotnik) And, as I did in the previous chapter, all anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. And, as explained before, since Sonic narrates throughout most of the fic, his narration is in italic. Now, let's get back to "Once upon a time…"

Chapter 2

Five years ago, on the island on a moonlit night, an empty motorboat lies ashore on a beach. There are footprints in the sand leading to a nearby forest. Deep in said forest, Eggman was running in panic, panting. At the time, he wasn't known as "Eggman" as he was wearing a white lab coat and marching pants. He also wore a red turtleneck shirt under his lab coat and shiny black shoes on his feet. And instead of goggles on his bald head, he wore a blueish green sun visor like the type that tennis players wear. And on the side of his coat was a name tag which had the name "Dr. Ivo Kintobor" (as Eggman was called). As anyone could see, he wasn't the evil genius he would be years later. Sonic narrates.

_The doc came to South Island, my "home sweet home", away from his city on the mainland._

Dr. Kintobor talks between pants, "Can't… stop. Must… keep… going." He looks behind him, adding, "They'll… never… understand…"

He trips over a branch which makes him look in front of him.

"Whoa!" he shouts in reaction.

He falls face first into a mud puddle and remains laying there.

_He seemed to be cast out by his own species, the human race. Can you imagine?_

Soon, an adult blue anthropomorphic hedgehog, whose head we don't see and is just as blue as Sonic, approaches the fallen doctor. This hedgehog wears the same white gloves as Sonic, a brown leather vest and matching boots.

_If it wasn't for my father…_

He picks up the doctor and carries him out of the forest.

…_he would still be out there, alone._

Later, in one of the hut-like houses in a village known as Green Hill Village where the grass is checkered in two different shades of green…

_Dad took him to our home in Green Hill Village…_

…the weary doctor sat at a dining room table, wearing a battered green blanket and drinking hot soup from a coffee mug. Sitting across from him is a female lavender anthropomorphic hedgehog whose head we don't see. She wears frilly white gloves, a pink dress with a white apron on top, and fuzzy pink slippers. In her arms and sitting on her lap is a 10-year-old Sonic who wears only his gloves and socks. This indicates that the lavender hedgehog was indeed Sonic's mom. Sonic looks worried about this human.

…_where the doc explained his situation._

The adult blue hedgehog, who was Sonic's dad, places a pitcher full of the same soup the doctor was drinking down on the table.

He tells Dr. Kintobor in concern as he sits at one of the ends of the table near the doctor, "Perhaps you could tell us what you were doing out there, far from the human city on the mainland."

The doctor, after gulping his drink, sadly places the mug he was holding on the table and wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

Dr. Kintobor sighs, "Very well. My name is Dr. Ivo Kintobor. I was a brilliant scientist back in the city, one of the best. I was working in the lab, often explaining to my colleagues about the many ideas I had for making the world a better place, ridding it of pollution once and for all. But they all laughed at me and teased me about it, called me an eco-geek. I was hurt, devastated. It seemed they would never understand my cause. Their minds are set too much on logic to even care about the environment. So, I quit my job at the lab and left the city. I came to this remote island, hoping there'd be someone who would believe in me."

Sonic's mom reacts in concern, "Oh, how unfortunate."

"Whoa. That's terrible," Sonic adds.

"Some humans can be so cruel," Sonic's mom reflects.

Sonic's dad happily tells Dr. Kintobor, "Well, since you have nowhere to go, you might as well stay here with us."

Sonic and his mom happily gasp.

Sonic's dad adds, "We could help you build a new lab and in the meantime, you could live with my fam'ly."

Sonic chuckles upon hearing this, glad to have Dr. Kintobor live with him and his family.

Sonic's mom agrees, "That is a great idea!"

Dr. Kintobor gasps in surprise, "Me? Stay with you?" He holds his hands up in front of him in a polite decline, "Oh, but I wouldn't want to impose."

Sonic's mom replies, "Oh, nonsense. We always have room for one more."

Sonic's dad agrees, "Sure, the more, the merrier!"

"Oh, will ya, doc? Will ya?" asks Sonic, excitedly.

Dr. Kintobor happily answers as a tear comes to his eye, "Oh, you've all been so kind to me." He wipes the tear from his eye and adds, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay for just one night."

Sonic shouts out, "Alright!"

"Oh, good!" says Sonic's mom.

Sonic's dad agrees, "Now, that's what I like to hear!"

Dr. Kintobor looks at Sonic's dad and then, at Sonic, with the gentle smile still on his face.

_Ol' Doc Kintobor was really very gentle._

Sonic chuckles again, happy that Dr. Kintobor would be living under his roof.

_I could tell._

Dr. Kintobor smiles at Sonic's chuckle.

_I just couldn't believe this man would become evil someday._

A few days later, on a sunny day, there was an uncompleted round dome building far from Green Hill Village. Dr. Kintobor, Sonic's dad, and some various anthropomorphic animals are building this round dome. Dr. Kintobor is holding the blueprints and instructing the others on what to do as Sonic's dad stands beside the doctor, looking at the construction going on.

_As time went on, my dad and the others in the village helped the doc build a new lab outside our small community…_

Then, Dr. Kintobor and Sonic's dad look at the blueprints of the dome in the doctor's hands.

…_so that he can continue his work on making life better for all of us without any pollution whatsoever._

A year later, also a sunny day, the dome is complete with not a living creature in sight outside.

_A year later, after my parents passed away…_

Inside, in a bedroom, Dr. Kintobor happily sits on his bed and watches now-11-year-old Sonic run fast on the doctor's treadmill.

…_the doc took care of me as if I was his own son. Not that he had any children of his own, mind you._

Sonic runs so fast that his legs are a round blur like the Road Runner's. (You know, from the "Looney Tunes" cartoons.) The numbers on the treadmill's indicator goes up from 60 mph (miles per hour) to 61, 62, 63, and so on.

_It seems that out of all the folks in Green Hill Village, the doc was interested in me most of all._

Soon, Sonic screeches to a stop, causing a bit of smoke under his feet for that brief moment. This makes the treadmill stop, too, after being bunched up at the front a bit before restoring itself to normal. The numbers on the indicator quickly go down to zero at the moment Sonic stopped running.

Dr. Kintobor becomes impressed with Sonic as he tells him, "Wow, Sonic, you truly are amazing!"

Sonic happily jumps over the treadmill's handlebar and approaches Dr. Kintobor.

"Well, they don't call me 'Sonic' for nothin', ya know," the young hedgehog tells the doc.

He jumps up onto the bed and sits beside Dr. Kintobor who lets out a chuckle upon hearing Sonic's remark.

"Tell me again how you got your astonishing speed," Dr. Kintobor requests.

Sonic blushes in embarrassment and denies, "Oh, come on, doc." He waves his hand at Dr. Kintobor, pointing out, "I already told you fifty one times."

"Well," Dr. Kintobor incourages Sonic as he rubs Sonic's head which makes the hedgehog giggle, "let's make this fifty two."

Sonic tries to back out, "Aw, doc."

"Please, Sonic?" Dr. Kintobor teasingly pleads.

Sonic happily gives in, "Okay. After I was born, I quickly learned how to crawl. But instead of crawling at the normal speed of most babies, I was crawling around the room faster than my dad could run after me."

Back when Sonic was a baby, there was a blue light going around the room of his house and his dad was happily running after the light, but couldn't keep up.

Sonic's dad laughs, "Hey, wait up, son! Wait for your ol' man!"

In that light was baby Sonic, crawling faster than any normal baby, human or otherwise. Soon, Sonic's dad stops and leans on the end table, panting.

"He sure is fast," he admires his infant son.

Sonic's mom happily catches the blue light in front of her, saying, "Gotcha!"

The light quickly fades into baby Sonic who giggles upon being caught by his mom. Then, Sonic's dad goes toward them.

Sonic's dad laughs, "Our son is getting faster ev'ryday."

Sonic's mom looks at Sonic in her arms as Sonic's dad puts his arm around her

"Our little Sonic," she beams.

Sonic's dad looks at Sonic, agreeing, "I'm so proud of him."

Back to when Dr. Kintobor and 11-year-old Sonic sit on the doctor's bed in his bedroom in his dome lab.

"So, that's why they called you 'Sonic'," Dr. Kintobor muses.

Sonic giggles, "Yep. That's why."

Dr. Kintobor announces, "I have something for you."

Sonic looks on in curiosity as Dr. Kintobor reaches under his pillow and pulls out a plain white shoebox.

Dr. Kintobor shows Sonic the shoebox, explaining, "I was saving this for your birthday, but, after seeing you on my treadmill just now," he hands Sonic the shoebox, "this seems like the right time to give this to you."

Sonic takes the shoebox, still curious.

Dr. Kintobor chuckles, "Well, open it."

Sonic lifts the lid off the box and puts it behind him. Then, he gasps in surprise upon seeing inside the box. In the box was, what else, shoes! And not just any shoes, these were the red sneakers Sonic would wear! Sonic excitedly takes out the sneakers as Dr. Kintobor proudly looks on.

Sonic looks at Dr. Kintobor and compliments him, "Thank you so much, doc!" He looks at the sneakers in his hands and wonders, "Where did you get them?"

"I made them myself," Dr. Kintobor explains. "The soles on those shoes won't wear out like normal shoes. I made them especially designed for you."

Sonic jumps off the bed, now, wearing the sneakers on his feet. He admires his new shoes.

Sonic giggles, "These are great, doc!" He looks at Dr. Kintobor and tells him, "Thanks!"

"I knew you'd like 'em," Dr. Kintobor beams.

A few days later, on a moonlit night…

_The doc was always doing nice things._

…Dr. Kintobor works on a large round machine with a glass dome window on top. He uses a monkey wrench to screw some nuts in tight. In the dome window are seven jewels, each on a metallic pedestal and each gem is a different color: red, yellow, green, light blue, deep blue (like Sonic), purple, and gray.

_That's why he was set on creating ways to keep our planet from becoming polluted._

Sonic comes in, yawning. He suddenly gasps in shock upon seeing this big machine in the middle of the room.

Sonic happily calls to Dr. Kintobor, "Hey, doc, whatcha workin' on?"

Upon hearing Sonic, Dr. Kintobor puts the monkey wrench on the floor and happily looks at the young hedgehog.

"Oh," Dr. Kintobor replies as he stands up, "hello, Sonic." He approaches Sonic in apology, "Did I wake you?"

Sonic giggles, "It's okay, doc. Think nothing of it. I was already awake anyway."

Dr. Kintobor picks up Sonic who laughs because of this, "Hup! Ooh, you're getting big."

Sonic still laughs as Dr. Kintobor carries him over to a work bench against the wall nearby. The doctor sits Sonic on the bench and leans on it beside the hedgehog.

Sonic asks as he points to the machine in the middle of the room, "So, what's the deal with this machine you're workin' on?"

Dr. Kintobor explains as he and Sonic look at the machine, "Oh, that is my most ambitious project to date. I call it the 'Retro-Ortital Chaos Compressor', or the ROCC for short."

(Note: ROCC is pronounced "rock".)

"Whoa," Sonic responds in awe. Then, he looks at Dr. Kintobor and asks, "What does it do?"

Dr. Kintobor looks at Sonic and explains, "Well, my boy, it's simply an alternative power source which will be safe for the environment. That is, if it works." He points to the seven gems in the window and tells Sonic, "Now, you see those gems in there?"

Sonic replies as he and Dr. Kintobor look at the gems in the window, "Yeah, the Chaos Emeralds. I'm familiar with those. They say that he who collects the seven Chaos Emeralds will be granted unlimited energy."

It's true: These seven multi-colored diamond shaped gems, called "Chaos Emeralds", had immense power that could change the world for good or evil, depending on the owner.

"Then, you know of the boundless energy each one possesses," Dr. Kintobor continues. "I plan to use their energies to power our electrical appliances."

He and Sonic look at each other.

"Why, just think: We won't have to waste natural resources, like water, air, and…" He looks up as he raises his hand above him, "…even…" Sonic looks up as the doctor continues, "…the sun," brings his hand back down as he and Sonic look back at each other, "just to turn on a lamp or a TV."

Sonic is impressed at this, "Wow. That sounds cool, doc. But do you think it'll work?"

"It might take some time until it's complete," Dr. Kintobor tells the young hedgehog, "but when it is, electricity will be eco-friendly from now on." He points across Sonic's shoulder, "Could you pass me…" Sonic curiously looks behind himself as the doctor instructs him, "…that screwdriver over there?"

Sonic happily complies, "Oh, sure, doc."

He runs to where Dr. Kintobor was pointing at while the doctor brings his hand down and looks on. Sonic gets a screwdriver from the wall which has lots of tools hanging on there. A nanosecond later (Well, that was quick.), Sonic runs back and stands beside Dr. Kintobor, holding out the screwdriver to him.

Sonic tells the doctor, "Here ya go."

Dr. Kintobor takes the screwdriver from Sonic and praises him, "Thank you, my lad."

Sonic looks on as Dr. Kintobor goes over to the ROCC and proceeds to screw a few screws on the machine.

_Yep, he was always the environmental type, not like the other humans I see on TV. So, how could he possibly become a mad scientist?_

Four years later, a few months before the present day, on a sunny day outside the dome lab, Sonic, 15 years old by this time, sits by the lab, strumming a tan acoustic guitar, flawlessly.

_It was a few months before today. Even he couldn't know what was about to happen._

Just then, a clang is heard inside the dome. Sonic curiously stops playing upon hearing this.

Sonic looks at the dome, wondering, "Huh?"

He stands up as he puts the guitar on his back (as the guitar has a strap over his shoulder) and goes to a window on the dome nearby. He looks in through the window.

Sonic gasps in surprise, "Oh."

Inside, Dr. Kintobor types on the keyboard on the ROCC. Then, he goes over to the machine's wiring panel and kneels in front of it. He picks up a couple of cables.

"Let's see," Dr. Kintobor tells himself. "If I connect these cables here, then…"

He mumbles to himself as he connects the cables into the wiring panel.

He happily stands up, saying, "Ah! There we go."

He walks back over to the keyboard, but on the way, he doesn't notice a cable coming loose from the wiring panel that lets out of its end little electircal sparks, so, he trips over the cable. He falls toward the keyboard in horror.

Dr. Kintobor shouts as he falls, "Whoa!"

As he lands on top of the keyboard, his fist smashes through the ROCC's glass window holding the Chaos Emeralds while the cable that tripped him wraps around his leg as it still lets out sparks. A dangerous combination: The Chaos Emeralds light up and the cable shocks the doctor, both sources electrocuting him.

He screams in pain, "Aah!"

_I didn't know what was happening then, but I could tell…_

Sonic watches all this from the lab window with a gasp in fright.

…_it wasn't good._

Sonic, horrified by all this, backs away from the window.

_It was then that I had to warn the others in the village…_

Then, he rushes away from the dome lab and into a part of the surrounding forest, heading toward Green Hill Village.

…_before it was too late._

Suddenly, the dome explodes! As Sonic runs through the forest, seven streaks of light, the same colors as the Chaos Emeralds, fly across the sky. This indicates that these are indeed the Chaos Emeralds, flying away from the forest. Meanwhile, smoke flies out of the crater where Dr. Kintobor's dome lab once stood. Suddenly, a hand comes out of the crater and grabs the cliff in an attept to climb out. The hand in question belongs to… Eggman! But we don't see him climb out of the crater. Later, in Green Hill Village, a group of animal villagers stand around Sonic who explains the trouble at Dr. Kintobor's now demolished lab.

Sonic worriedly warns the villagers, "We have to do something! Dr. Kintobor is in danger!"

Just then, an explosion near the village causes everyone to duck with gasps of shock.

_It _was_ too late._

They look up and suddenly, fear is seen across everybody's faces, but none more than Sonic's.

_I will never recover from what I saw at that moment._

Dr. Eggman, now in his red shirt, black pants and matching boots, and goggles atop his head, comes flying toward the village in his Egg Mobile. An evil grin is on his face.

_Dr. Kintobor had changed… for the worst!_

Eggman chuckles, "Oh, ho, ho! Talk about starting things off with a bang!"

He snickers at his own little pun. (If you can call it a pun.)

Sonic wonders "Dr. Kintobor?"

Eggman jokes, "That's my name, don't wear it out. Heh. At least, it was my name until that little mishap in the lab."

"What happened?" asks Sonic.

Eggman explains, "Oh, let's just say my personality did a one-eighty. And I gotta admit, I love it. Now, the kind-hearted Dr. Ivo Kintobor is no more." He announces, "From now on, I shall be known as 'Dr. Robotnik'!"

He laughs evilly as Sonic starts to become angry at him.

Eggman gloats, "Oh, yeah! The Eggman is in the house!" He ponders about the name "Eggman", "Hmm. 'Eggman'. I like the sound of that." He admires the nickname as Sonic growls and clenches his fists, "Yeah, I'll use it." Eggman scratches his chin in confusion, "Now, where was I?" He happily remembers, "Oh, yes. This village will soon belong to the 'Eggman Empire'!" He ponders about the words "Eggman Empire", "Yeah, that does have a nice ring to it."

Sonic bursts out, "I'd like to see you try!"

Eggman looks curiously at Sonic and wonders, "Oh?" He mischievously grins, "Ah, yes, Sonic, is it? And to think, I once admired you and your cunning speed. But all that's in the past now. I have a new goal in mind and the Chaos Emeralds will help me achieve that goal!"

Sonic gasps in shock upon hearing this.

Eggman worriedly looks at the sky and continues, "It's a shame the emeralds scattered across the planet after their combined power is used." He mischievously grins, "Heh." He looks at Sonic as he proclaims, "But mark my words: Once I have collected all seven Chaos Emeralds," he looks up as he flings his arms out beside him and announces, "I shall turn the world into my Eggman Empire where I will rule it all!"

He laughs as Sonic angrily closes his eyes and hangs his head down while tears come streaming down his face.

_He was right: Dr. Kintobor was gone. All that's left was Eggman. He had become the things I had hated in the world: Evil, greed, destruction._

Sonic growls, trying to contain his sadness over losing Dr. Kintobor to Dr. Eggman.

_I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to stop it!_

Sonic opens his eyes and looks up at Eggman as the tears stop flowing.

He shakes his fist at Eggman, proclaiming, "Over my dead body!"

Eggman looks curiously at Sonic and wonders, "Oh?" He mischievously grins as he brings his arms down, "Hmm. Well, that could be arranged."

He presses a button on the Egg Mobile's control panel and out from underneath the Egg Mobile comes a brown checkered wrecking ball. Everyone else gasps upon seeing this.

Eggman jokes, "I have a feeling I'm gonna have a ball with this."

(Note: Bad pun #2.)

Sonic confidently turns to the villagers and instructs them, "Ev'ryone, get out of here, now! Get to safety!" He urges the villagers as they run away with screams of fright, "Go! Go! Go!"

Sonic watches as the villagers run into the forest and out of sight.

Eggman gloats as Sonic angrily looks at him, "It's just you and me, Sonic. Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?"

(Note: Bad pun #3.)

Eggman presses the button on the control panel and the ball starts swinging toward Sonic. Luckily, Sonic backflips out of the way, but the ball demolishes a nearby house. Sonic gasps in shock upon seeing this, then, angrily looks back at Eggman. The ball then swings backwards, demolishing another nearby house.

Eggman teases, "Your super speed won't save you from me."

The ball comes swinging toward Sonic again.

Sonic screams in fright, "Aah!"

He ducks down low and the ball passes over him. The ball destroys yet another house. Then, the ball passes over Sonic again and destroys, yep, you guesed it, another house. Sonic looks up at Eggman and then, runs from him as the ball comes toward the hedgehog once again.

Eggman gloats, "Yes, run, Sonic. That's what you're good at, isn't it?"

Eggman laughs as Sonic, still frightened, hides behind a house not yet demolished by the Egg Mobile's wrecking ball which continues to destroy some of the other houses.

_What have I gotten myself into?! I was stupid to think I could take on Eggman right there and then._

Sonic peeks at Eggman, still destroying the houses with his wrecking ball.

_But it was a good thing I got ev'ryone away from their homes before the doc tore 'em down._

Sonic goes back behind the house untouched by Eggman's ball.

_Look at me, running away from my problems. Was this how I wanted to spend my life?_

Sonic becomes confident.

_It was then that I realized that I was the only one who could stand up to Robotnik._

He raises his fist and shakes it in the air.

_It was all on me now. It was time to finish what I started._

He quickly brings his fist down and looks behind him. Meanwhile, Eggman is having fun tearing down the houses around with his Egg Mobile's wrecking ball.

Eggman calls to Sonic, "You can't hide forever, Sonic. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Upon these words, Eggman curiously hears a whistle behind him. He looks in the direction of the whistling and sees Sonic standing on top of the house yet to be demolished. Sonic now has a sly grin on his face.

Sonic calls to Eggman, "Ask and ye shall receive, Robuttnik! If ya want me, come and get me!"

Eggman chuckles, "Oh, ho, ho! Why, I thought you'd never ask! Time to switch to homing targeting!"

Eggman presses another button on the control panel and the ball starts swinging toward Sonic. Sonic jumps off the house and the ball hits it, bringing the house down, literally. Meanwhile, in a Matrix-type scenario, in mid-air during his jump, Sonic goes over Eggman's head as Eggman looks on in surprise. The Matrix moment ends as Sonic lands safely on the ground. Eggman then curiously notices a round shadow over him. He looks up.

Eggman screams in horror, "Aah!"

The ball is over his head! Eggman looks at us in worry.

**A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.**

All Eggman could say at this point is, "Oh, snap."

The ball then falls on top of him and into the Egg Mobile's cockpit which makes the Egg Mobile wobble a bit as it flies away from the village. Sonic worriedly watches as the Egg Mobile flies out of sight, still wobbling.

_Well, that stopped Eggman… for now. I had a feeling he'll be back for more. And boy, would I be right._

Sonic then looks around at the destruction Eggman's wrecking ball had caused.

_So much for "home sweet home". Not that I need one: I was old enough by now to take care of myself._

Sonic looks at the sky.

_My job wasn't finished yet. Now, I had to take care of Eggman and stop him from getting the Chaos Emeralds…_

Sonic leaves the destroyed village.

…_all of them._

A/N:  
So, there you have it, Sonic's (and Eggman's) past in a nutshell. (No, not literally, wiseguys.) And starting next chapter, future chapters will adapt most of the lands and enemies from Sonic's self-titled debut game. But don't expect an update right away, it'll take some time to think up the dialogue and actions. So, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:  
Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for: The adaptation to Sonic's debut game! Now that his (and Eggman's) origins are explained, it's time to link them to the game that started it all! I hope you won't mind if I drop "Zone" from each of the lands' names. But rest assured that this fic will be faithful to the original game. And I apologize in advance for cutting the action short. But first, I have a present for Sonic: A brand new plane! That's right, I've added the original red Tornado! Although the plane is introduced in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", I thought I'd bring it in early since Sonic needs something to travel the world due to the fact that he can't swim which I'll emphasize throughout this fic. And it helps his search for the Chaos Emearlds and Eggman. (Not at the same time, of course.) And as said in previous chapters, all anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. And once again, Sonic narrates which puts his narration in italic. Now, let's prepare for takeoff!

Chapter 3

Back in the present day, Sonic still sits on the branch of an oak tree, still looking at the picture of him when he was younger and Dr. Kintobor.

_Maybe I could've stopped this from happening. I did have the speed._

He stands on the tree branch and looks at the blue sky.

_But my dad always taught me not to look back, to keep going forward, while running and in life._

He looks back at the picture.

_And that's just what I must do._

He crumples up the picture in his hand.

_No dwelling on the past. No wondering what if. If I'm ever to stop Eggman…_

Sonic drops the picture and watches as it floats up into the breeze and out of sight. (A crumpled picture can do that?!)

…_I must keep looking to the future. And that means letting go of the one person who mattered to me most._

Sonic closes his eyes and brings his head down.

_Goodbye, Dr. Ivo Kintobor._

He looks away to a nearby bush below. He curiously notices something sparkle in it.

"Huh?" he wonders.

He jumps down out of the tree and goes to the sparkle. He starts crawling on the ground under the leaves of bush, getting closer. Soon, he gasps in surprise as he finds what was making the sparkle: the gray Chaos Emerald!

_It's a Chaos Emerald!_

Sonic smiles upon his discovery and picks up the emerald, still kneeling on the ground. He admires the emerald in his hand.

_I found a Chaos Emerald! Looks like Eggman hasn't got his hands on any, yet. Well, one down, six to go._

He start to stand up, but bumps his head on a red flat beam.

"Ow!" he says upon impact.

He rubs his head as he steps away from the beam.

"Note to self: Watch your head," he concludes.

**A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.**

He looks up at the beam in curiosity and notices that the wing is actually a wing to... a red bi-plane! It has silver wings and a silver propeller with two blades. White stripes are decorated across its sides and around its tail. There are vines around it, but it's still in good condition. Sonic gasps in shock upon seeing the plane.

_A real airplane!_

He happily goes toward the cockpit.

_Looks like it's still good._

He brushes the vines of the plane.

"This plane looks like it's been through a lot," Sonic remarks as he examines the plane, "blizzards, rain storms, earthquakes, maybe even a tornado or two." He snaps his fingers in realization, exclaiming, "Hey, that's it! I'll call this baby the 'Tornado'!" He pats the plane as he tells it, "Oh, you and I are gonna get along just fine."

He jumps in the cockpit and looks at the control panel. On the panel is a steering wheel and sticking out of the floor beside the wheel is a lever. There is a key in the ignition of the panel.

"I wonder if this plane still flies," He wonders as he examines the control panel, Then, he rubs his hands in anticipation and says, "Only one way to find out!"

He turns the key and the engine sputters, causing the propeller to start turning. Sonic excitedly watches the propeller as it turns faster and faster. Sonic then gets a determined grin on his face.

_I never flew a plane before, but that won't stop me from finding those Chaos Emeralds!_

A few minutes later, the plane is flying in the sky with Sonic as the pilot. The plane now has Sonic's name written in white on each side.

_Personally, I like my feet on the ground, but if I'm gonna find those emeralds before Eggman, I need a bird's eye view!_

The plane flies off in the distance and out of sight.

_And I certainly could use all the help I can get._

As the Tornado flies through the sky, Sonic looks below him. Suddenly, he gasps in shock. He is currently over some Roman ruins. At these ruins are some robots: blue robotic bees with jet engines called Buzzbombers and lavender robotic caterpillars with yellow spikes on their bodies called Catterkillers. The robots are in a straight line as if to make a path.

"That's the Marble Ruins!" he notices. "What are those robots doing there?!" He angrily looks in front of him and concludes, "I bet Eggman has something to do with this. He must have another factory somewhere on this island." Then, he ponders, "But where?"

Just then, there is a gray glow coming from Sonic's side in the cockpit. Sonic gasps in surprise upon noticing the glow and reaches in his "pocket". He takes out the gray Chaos Emerald and looks at it, glowing brightly in his hand.

"The Chaos Emerald. It only glows like that if there's another emerald nearby," he reminds himself. He then becomes determined as he realizes, "That's why those robots are here. Robotnik's looking for the Chaos Emeralds." He puts the Chaos Emerald in his pocket and looks in front of him as he proclaims, "Then, I'd better get there first!"

Sonic flips a switch on the plane's control panel that turns on a screen that says "AUTOPILOT". Then, he jumps out of the plane and lands safely near the robots. He runs toward the Buzzbombers and kick-jumps each of them, destroying them.

After Sonic lands after destroying the last Buzzbomber in his path, he looks behind him and notices, "Whoa. Eggman's getting sloppy: he must've downgraded his robots."

Sonic then runs toward the Catterkillers, but when he starts to kick-jump one of them, his foot lands on one of its spikes.

He jumps in the air as he holds his foot, screaming "Yeow!"

He lands on the ground, still holding his sore foot.

He looks at the Catterkillers and points out their spikes, "Talk about looking sharp. There must be some way to take them out."

He gasps in surprise when he sees the Catterkillers' heads: The heads have no spikes on them!

"Of course! Their bodies may be protected, but not their heads!" says Sonic with a sly grin.

Sonic then proceeds to punch their heads, one by one, destroying them.

He brushes his hands together, announcing, "That takes care of that."

Just then, Eggman's voice calls out, "Well, now, I wouldn't say that."

Sonic curiously looks above him and notices Eggman flying toward him in the Egg Mobile.

"I knew those robots would lead you to me," Eggman explains to Sonic. "So, I came prepared."

He presses a button on the control panel and the red rod at the bottom of his Egg Mobile is replaced by a short silver tube.

Eggman proclaims, "Time to heat things up!"

(Note: Bad pun #4; you'll see why.)

He presses another button on the control panel and the tube starts shooting fireballs at Sonic who runs from this in fright. Luckily, the fireballs, upon touching the ground, quickly disintegrates before even starting a small fire in the grass. Suddenly, Sonic quickly stops as he balances on an edge, looking down at the lava at the edge. He then looks behind him as Eggman comes toward him, still shooting fireballs out of his Egg Mobile.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Sonic thinks.

He then becomes determined.

"Guess the only way outta this mess is to get rid of that fire shooter."

He jumps up and kicks the tube spouting fire which briefly stops the fireballs, causing the Egg Mobile to shake a bit.

Eggman worriedly feels the shake, shouting, "Whoa!"

As soon as the Egg Mobile stops shaking, Eggman angrily looks back at Sonic who lands safely on the ground.

He shakes his fist at Sonic, declaring, "It'll take more than that to stop me!"

Eggman comes after Sonic again as the fireballs start shooting again, but Sonic jumps up and kicks the tube again, causing the fireballs to stop coming and the Egg Mobile to rock. …again. Eggman is clinging on, worriedly. Sonic kicks the tube again which makes the Egg Mobile rock a bit more. And again. This kick short circuits the tube. Eggman doesn't notice this: He becomes sick as his face turns green. He quickly reaches for a motion sickness bag and spews into it. Finally, Sonic kicks the tube one more time. This sends the tube flying off into the sky and explode. Eggman flies away, too, upset at Sonic for ruining his new "toy".

He looks at Sonic and vows, "Don't think this is over. It's only the beginning."

Eggman looks away as he flies out of sight while Sonic looks on with his arms folded.

"I don't like the sound of that one bit," Sonic remarks.

Suddenly, there's a bright glow coming from the lava.

Sonic curiously looks at the lava and questions, "Huh?"

He goes toward the glow and watches as out of the lava floats… the purple Chaos Emerald! Sonic gasps in excitement at the emerald hovering in front of him.

"Whoa! Another Chaos Emerald!" he exclaims. "I never imagined it would be inside molten lava all along."

He grabs the Chaos Emerald and admires it.

"Only five more left."

He looks beside him: The Tornado is sitting there as if it was waiting for Sonic. He rushes over to the plane and jumps into the cockpit. Turning off the autopilot, he flies the plane up and away from the Marble Ruins.

A/N:  
Okay, so, now, Sonic can soar through the air! Sorry for the all the puns. I wanted to bring a little humor to the story. Otherwise, it would be completely boring. Anyway, what did you think? Was it worth the wait or what? I'll need some time thinking up the next installment. (Writer's block, you know.) But keep sending those reviews. I'd sure like to hear what you think of this story!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:  
Next up, the Spring Yard Zone! Like before, "Zone" will be kept out of the the place's name. Sonic narrates a bit in this chapter, so, his narration is in italic. And like most of the chapters, the anime emotional "enhancements" are in bold. Now, let's spring into action! (Pun intended.)

Chapter 4

The Tornado flies toward a bunch of towers, ramps, and springs. The towers and ramps are made out of bricks and glass. The springs are metal coils with red trampolines on the top. The trampolines each have a blue circle in the middle with a yellow star in the middle of said circle. Sonic notices all this.

"The ol' Spring Yard," admires Sonic. He then looks at the gray Chaos Emerald in his hand and notes, "The emeralds are leading me here. There's another one around here somewhere."

He puts the emerald in his pocket and lands the plane near the towers. He jumps out of the cockpit and runs toward one of the springs. He jumps on the spring and gets bounced high.

"Whoo-hoo! I so love doing that!" he excitedly shouts.

He lands safely in front of the spring.

"Huh?" he asks in curiosity.

He stands up and looks behind him. A blue metallic ball, as big as Sonic, rolls quickly toward him.

"Aah!" he screams out in horror.

Sonic runs away fast, keeping his distance from the rolling ball. The ball keeps its pace, going as fast as Sonic. Sonic runs up a nearby tower. …literally. The ball follows him. They go ten or twelve stories up until reaching the top. Sonic gets there first: He jumps off the edge and in the air, then, he lands on the roof. He looks behind him and notices the ball flying off the edge and above his head. Sonic runs out of the way as the ball lands. The chase continues. Then, Sonic reaches a spring and jumps on it which makes him get bounced up high in the air. He looks below him and notices the ball stopping and unrolling itself as a robotic armadillo called Roller.

"That's what was chasing me?!" Sonic complains.

**A red vein sticks out of his forehead.**

He notices, "An armadillo robot?! Must be one of Eggman's."

Sonic then gasps in surprise as he notices Roller rolls back up into a ball and rolls away just as Sonic lands safely on the ground.

"Ha, ha, ha," Sonic chuckles. "Looks like it can only go foward." Sonic doesn't notice a silhouette of a crab sneaking up behind him as he muses, "Robotnik's losing his touch."

The crab silhouette stretches out its arm and pinches its claw out to Sonic, but Sonic looks behind him with a gasp in shock and jumps out of the way before the silhouetted crab could pinch him. The silhouette brings its arm back as it comes into the light and this crab is revealed to be a robot known as Crabmeat.

"Or not," Sonic corrects himself.

Sonic looks around and more Crabmeats come toward the hedgehog, surrounding him. Suddenly, the Crabmeats all stretch their claws toward Sonic, but Sonic just gives a sly grin and jumps in the air, causing the claws to crash into each other, destroying the robotic crabs. Sonic, meanwhile, had backflipped out of the way and is watching the scene on a bridge of blocks. (Yes, blocks, but not the Lego kind.)

"Guess Eggman's gonna be pretty crabby that I broke his toys," Sonic jokes.

(Note: Bad pun #5.)

Eggman's voice disagrees, "You don't know the half of it."

Sonic curiously looks above him and there's Eggman in his Egg Mobile, but this time, the Egg Mobile's got a sharp spike at the bottom instead of the red rod.

Eggman snickers, "Heh, heh, heh. You fell right into my trap."

"Trap? What trap?" Sonic asks him.

"Look below you, Sonic," Eggman instructs. Sonic looks at the block bridge beneath his feet as Eggman explains, "This bridge is made of nothing but blocks. And what's under a bridge?"

Sonic lies down on his chest and looks below the bridge. He gasps in shock as he notices the ground is several miles down from the bridge.

"Well, let's just say it's a long way down," Eggman concludes. Then, he snickers as Sonic looks at him, "Heh, heh, heh, heh. Now, to get my point across."

(Note: Bad pun #6.)

The Egg Mobile comes toward Sonic with the spike pointed at him, but he rolls out of the way and it sticks to the block Sonic was on. Surprisingly, instead of struggling to get free, the Egg Mobile lifts the block and only that block. Sonic stands up as he notices this. Eggman then pushes a button on the control panel, making the block break. Sonic stands at the edge and looks at the empty space Eggman had left.

"Whoa," Sonic admires the fact that the other blocks are in mid-air. "Guess these blocks never studied the law of gravity."

Eggman calls out as Sonic looks at him, "Which makes it all the more fun."

The Egg Mobile comes toward Sonic again and he jumps out of the way of the spike, causing the spike to stick into another block. Then, the Egg Mobile lifts that block as Sonic looks on. Eggman pushes the button and the block is broken because of this.

"Man, I gotta do something before I run out of bridge!" says Sonic.

"There's nothing you can do!" Eggman gloats.

The Egg Mobile comes toward Sonic once more and he flips out of the way, causing the spike to stick to yet another block. Sonic watches as the Egg Mobile lifts the block. Suddenly, that block causes the Egg Mobile to shake.

Eggman feels the shake in surprise as he asks, "Wh-wh-what's going on here?"

Sonic is surprised at this, too. Then, the whole ordeal causes an explosion. The Egg Mobile is flung out of the explosion.

"Whoa!" Eggman cries out upon being tossed into the sky in horror.

The Egg Mobile is flung out of sight. A small bright light briefly twinkles where the Egg Mobile leaves the scene, then, fades. Sonic just looks on, dumbfounded.

"Why am I compelled to say 'Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!'?" Sonic wonders in puzzlement. Then, he looks at the smoke from the explosion as it starts to clear and wonders, "Huh?"

The smoke clears, revealing that the block remained undamaged as it floats in mid-air. Suddenly, the bridge Sonic stands on starts to shake.

He feels the shake in surprise as he shouts out, "Whoa!"

Then, the block bridge starts to fall to the ground since the Egg Mobile left a gap in the bridge. Sonic jumps toward the floating block and grabs the edge of said block with one hand. Sonic looks on as the blocks below him fall, one by one.

"Whew!" he wipes his brow in relief.

He climbs on top of the floating block as it slowly takes him away from the bridge and toward his plane. Sonic jumps off the block and lands beside the Tornado.

He faces the floating block and ponders, "Why would a block save me? There's something weird going on."

Then, a bright light emits from the block. Sonic gasps in shock upon seeing this. Suddenly, the light goes brighter than the daylight which makes Sonic shield his eyes. As the light fades, Sonic uncovers his eyes and looks at where the light came from. He gasps as he notices the block had gone, but the yellow Chaos Emerald floats in front of him. He happily laughs at this. The emerald floats down toward him and he grabs it. He admires the emerald in his hand.

"So, that explains it," he realizes. "It was the Chaos Emerald inside that block that kept the bridge afloat!"

Sonic thinks of a scenario of looking inside the block the Chaos Emerald was in as the spike from the Egg Mobile comes into the block and its tip touches the top of the emerald. Sonic narrates.

_The spike might've hit the emerald inside the block…_

Then, the emerald glows brightly, causing the explosion that tossed the Egg Mobile up and away.

…_and the emerald sent Eggman flying!_

Sonic snaps back to the present day.

"Heh, heh, heh," he chuckles. Then, he admires the emerald's ability to defend itself, "Guess the emerald doesn't want Robuttnik to collect it." He puts the emerald in his pocket as he hopes, "Hope it's this easy to find the others."

He goes over to the Tornado and climbs into its cockpit to set off to find the remaining four Chaos Emeralds.

A/N:  
Like the Pokémon reference I threw in there? It seems appropriate, knowing how Eggman always gets blown away the same way Team Rocket does. (LOL) More chapters to come. …when I get the inspiration, that is.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:  
Here's where Sonic's fear of water comes in. And get this, it goes back to when he was a baby! But Sonic has to face his fears if he's gonna get that fourth Chaos Emerald. I also added a phrase from an early promotional ad for Sonic's first game and made it his father's speech in the flashback of this chapter. There's no Eggman here, but Sonic is still kept plenty busy. And his narration is in italic. Now, it's time for Sonic to get his feet wet. …and the rest of his body. (LOL)

Chapter 5

A lake shows a reflection of Sonic looking at the water in panic.

_Water?! Why did it _have_ to be water?!_

Close-up of Sonic at the edge of the lake as he continues to look at the water. His plane, the Tornado, is resting off in the distance behind him.

_Never mind the fact that I never learned how to swim… I just flat-out _hate_ water!_

He remembers back to when he was a baby as his mom, whose face we _still_ don't see, carries him over to the kitchen sink. …filled with water. She tries to get him in the sink to bathe him, but he clings to her and cries in protest. (He was a baby back then, what did you expect?)

"Come on, Sonic, it's just water. It won't hurt you," she tries to calm him down.

Sonic's dad, whose face we don't see either, stands beside her, looking at Sonic clinging to her.

"Still can't get him to take a bath, huh?" his dad teases.

"It's not the bathing part I'm worried about," Sonic's mom explains. "It's getting him to _like_ the water."

Sonic's dad takes a washcloth off the counter and dips it in the water. Then, he takes it out and brings it to Sonic.

"Maybe, he'll like it when he feels how warm it is," his dad explains.

Sonic watches as his dad brings the washcloth to his son's face. Then, before it gets to his cheek, Sonic bats the washcloth away while his dad still holds it. This causes Sonic's dad to lose his balance and fall with his head in the sink, face-first. He brings his drenched head up and spits water out of his mouth. Sonic's mom just giggles at this as does Sonic in her arms.

"Someday, honey. Someday," she assures Sonic's dad as baby Sonic still giggles.

Back to the present day as fifteen-year-old Sonic still looks at the lake in panic.

_Someday, she says. When _will_ someday come, mom? When?!_

He pulls out the gray Chaos Emerald and looks at it as it glows brightly.

_Of all places, why does a Chaos Emerald _have_ to be here?! I don't think I can do this!_

Suddenly, the voice of Sonic's dad calls out, "Sonic!"

Sonic looks up and gasps in shock upon hearing his dad's voice.

_Dad?_

He remembers back when he was ten years old, long before Dr. Kintobor came. Young Sonic stands on a cliff and looks out at the vast ocean.

The voice of Sonic's dad calls out, "There you are!"

Sonic curiously looks behind him as his dad walks up to him. (We _still_ don't see his dad's face, in case you were wondering.)

"I thought you didn't like water," he chuckles.

Sonic giggles.

"Just because I don't like the water doesn't mean I can't look at it," he responds.

His dad stands beside him as both father and son look out at the ocean.

"So, whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Sonic's dad asks.

"Well, I've always wanted to travel the world, see diff'rent places. I've got the speed, ya know," Sonic explains. Then, he sadly continues, "But, with my fear of water…"

He sighs. His dad puts a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. Sonic curiously looks at his dad who looks back at him.

"Lemme tell you something, son," Sonic's dad begins. "Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets."

Sonic smiles at his dad's advice.

"Someday, dad," Sonic proclaims. He continues as he and his dad look out at the ocean, "Someday."

The memory fades away from the present day as now-fifteen-year-old Sonic looks at the gray Chaos Emerald in his hand, happily.

_You're right, dad, I can't worry 'bout the past._

He looks up in determination as he puts the Chaos Emerald in his pocket.

_Not when the future is at stake._

He looks down at the water at his feet.

_Well, here goes._

He takes a deep breath and jumps into the water, feet-first. Due to the water around him, he floats gently to the ground below. He holds his breath the whole time as he starts to walk straight ahead and look around.

_I can't really run fast in the water as I usually do on land. I can't hold my breath long either, so, I need to find a way to the surface soon._

He then stops and looks ahead in surprise as he sees a row of wooden cups on a chain which brings them toward him and go up, presumably, up through the surface. Sonic smiles at this, but still holds his breath so that he won't drown.

_Bingo._

He walks over to the cups and grabs on to one of them going up. He climbs up to the top of the cup as it takes him up and out of the water. He lets out his breath as soon as he's brought out of the water. He bends over his legs and holds his thighs as he breathes heavily.

He says between breaths, "Whew! That was close. I don't think I could've held my breath much longer."

He recovers as he stands up and curiously looks around. The cup he stands on then takes him foreward as he notices he's in an underground labyrinth-type room.

"I must be in some kind of underground labyrinth," he confirms. "I had no idea this was here. Bet it's where I'll find the Chaos Emerald."

He looks ahead of him and notices an edge of a building-like tower near where the cups on the chain go back down toward the water. Soon, his cup starts to go down to the water as he is high above the tower's edge.

"I have to time this just right or I'm back in the water again."

He crouches down. Then, as soon as the cup brings him toward the tower, he jumps across to the roof of the tower and lands safely.

He curiously looks up and wonders, "Huh?"

Some robotic bats called Batbrains fly down toward him. He stands up and looks at them in determination.

"Guess the doc found this place first," he assumes. "And by the looks of those bots, he must still be looking for the emerald hidden here."

He jumps on the Batbrains, one at a time, destroying them. He lands feet-first on the ground as the last Batbrain is destroyed. Suddenly, a green chameleon robot, Newtron, appears on the wall on Sonic's left. He looks at the Newtron with a gasp in shock. Then, a purple Newtron appears on the wall on Sonic's right. He looks at the purple Newtron with a gasp. Then, both the green and purple Newtron unroll their tails and start to shoot electric balls at Sonic.

He runs away in fright, shouting, "Whoa!"

He escapes the blast in time.

"I said it before and I'll say it again: That was close," he remarks as he looks behind him while still running.

He looks ahead of him and stops in front of a wall with a pedestal in it. On this pedestal is the light blue Chaos Emerald.

"Oh, man! How lucky is this?!" he happily exclaims. "I can't believe Robuttnik didn't find it _here!"_

He takes the emerald out of the pedestal and looks at it. Suddenly, he worriedly feels the ground shake.

"Whoa! Guess the place wasn't done with the emerald yet!"

He looks down and gasps in shock as water starts to fill the room.

"Oh, no! Not _more_ water!" he complains in panic.

He looks around and suddenly notices a long gaping hole above him.

"Hmm," he ponders. "It's a long shot, but I think I can wall-jump my way outta here."

He puts the Chaos Emerald in his pocket and jumps up to the wall in front of him. He then jumps to the wall behind him as the water keeps flowing up. Then, he jumps to the wall beside him and so on. Soon, he jumps out onto the grass outside as the water finally stops and blocks his way out. He looks at the new pool of water in relief.

"Man, I don't ever wanna do that again," he concludes. He then curiously looks beside him and wonders, "Huh?"

The Tornado is standing there, motionless.

Sonic snickers, "Heh, heh, heh. Looks like I'm back where I started."

He brings the light blue Chaos Emerald out of his pocket and looks at it.

"But this time, I've got one more Chaos Emerald than I did earlier."

He puts the emerald back in his pocket and goes to the Tornado to find the remaining three Chaos Emeralds before Eggman.

A/N:  
So, how was that? Although Sonic didn't get rid of his fear of water entirely, he proved he can face the odds to achieve his goal. Stayed tuned next chapter. Next stop, the Star Light Zone!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega and/or Sonic Team.

Author's Note:

Now, here's a zone that keeps its name intact! …for humorous value only. Sonic, in his narration, references the Starlight Zone as if it were "The Twilight Zone". For the most part, I made the Starlight Zone a highway since that's what the level's design was like. Some badniks are around here, too, blending well with the area. As always, Sonic's narration is in italic and any anime "enchancements" are in bold. Now, it's time to enter the Twilight… I mean, the Starlight Zone.

Chapter 6

Stars twinkle in the nighttime sky. …at two in the afternoon?! Sonic narrates.

_You are entering a place with no speed limit._

We look down to a highway lit up by its street lights.

…_where obstacles could force you to pull over. …for good._

Soon, we zoom out to see Sonic on a cliff nearby, looking out over the highway.

_It's too late to back up: You have now entered the Starlight Zone._

A close-up of Sonic's face as he looks at the highway in determination.

_I always wanted to do that. Starlight Highway is the only place where it's night all the time, even during the day. The sun is never seen here and if it weren't for its street lights, it would be tough to see where you're going with only the stars to light the way. And that's even worse than going _too_ fast._

He gets ready to run down the highway lit by its street lights.

_Well, here goes._

He zooms down the highway to search for the next Chaos Emerald. He then screeches to a stop and gasps in surprise as he notices a floating blue robotic orb with red spikes orbiting it. This robot is called Unidus. It comes toward Sonic as its spikes shoot toward him, one by one in a straight line. Sonic becomes determined and jumps over the spikes. He falls toward the exposed orb and kicks it, destroying it.

"Man. How did these kooky 'bots ever make it to the doc's assembly line?" Sonic jokingly asks.

He then notices in shock a green orb with yellow spikes coming toward him. This robot, Orbinaut, resembles Unidus, but its spikes don't shoot out at Sonic.

"Guess I spoke too soon," he corrects himself.

Then, Sonic notices another Orbinaut coming from behind him. Sonic slyly grins and then, jumps up just as the two Orbinauts come closer. The robots can't stop nor turn, so, they collide with each other which causes their destruction. Sonic looks on from atop an uncompleted part of the highway overhead.

"Heh, heh, heh. That ol' trick gets 'em ev'ry time," he chuckles.

Suddenly, a part of the road explodes underneath him. He is blown by the explosion in surprise. He quickly grabs the edge of the road and gasps upon seeing the reason for the explosion: Bomb-like robots are stuck under the road, lined up in a row. The bomb in front suddenly lights its fuse.

He notices the bomb's lit fuse in horror, shouting out, "Whoa!"

He flips on top of the road and starts running as sections of the road explode behind him. He then looks behind him and stops as he notices there are no more explosions.

He wipes his brow in relief, "Whew! For a second there, I almost went out with a bang."

(Note: Bad pun #7.)

Eggman's voice calls out, "Oh, you will soon enough."

Sonic looks above him and notices Eggman in his Egg Moblie hovering overhead.

"Robotnik!" Sonic angrily exclaims.

Eggman teasingly scolds Sonic, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I caught you going over the speed limit. I'm gonna have to revoke your license, permanently!"

He presses a button on the control panel and the red rod at the bottom of his Egg Mobile is replaced by a short silver tube. He presses another button on the control panel and the tube starts shooting silver spiked balls at Sonic who dodges this in fright. Sonic looks at the spiked ball on the road behind him.

Eggman explains, "Never judge a book by its cover, Sonic: These balls do more than turn you into a pin cushion."

Sonic angrily looks at Eggman, asking, "Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Eggman?"

Eggman holds his pointer finger up and tells Sonic, "Wait for it."

Suddenly, the ball explodes, much to Sonic's surprise.

"Oh, ho, ho!" chuckles Eggman. "I told you it would be a blast."

(Note: Bad pun #8.)

Eggman snickers as Sonic angrily looks at him.

"That ball explodes within seconds on contact," Eggman explains. "And there's plenty more where that came from."

Another spiked ball falls from the tube and Sonic determinedly runs before it reaches the ground. Eggman watches Sonic running from him.

Eggman calls to Sonic, "Running away already, Sonic? I haven't even left a scratch on you yet."

He quickly follows Sonic who looks at him.

"Eggman can call me a coward all he wants," thinks Sonic,then, looks ahead of him and continues his thoughts, "but I need to find a way to bounce those balls back at him."

(Note: Bad pun #9.)

He then curiously notices a small silver teeter-totter on the side of the road in the distance.

"How convenient," he happily thinks.

He then jumps on the near end of the teeter-totter and faces Eggman as he approaches.

Eggman snickers, "Heh, heh, heh. This is too easy."

He pushes the button that drops another spiked ball from the tube, but before it lands, Sonic flips out of the way. The ball lands where Sonic was and Sonic then lands on the far end of the teeter-totter, causing the other end to go up which flings the spiked ball back up to Eggman and his Egg Mobile.

Eggman screams in horror, "Aah!"

The ball hits the Egg Mobile and attaches itself to it because of its spikes. Eggman worriedly looks at the ball and then, at us.

"Now, why didn't I see this coming?" he asks.

**A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.**

The ball explodes, sending Eggman and the Egg Mobile flying away and out of sight. A small bright light briefly twinkles where the Egg Mobile leaves the scene, then, fades. Sonic admires this scene.

Sonic chuckles, "Heh, heh, heh." Then he calls to Eggman, "Don't forget to send a postcard, Eggman!"

Suddenly, the teeter-totter glows beneath him. He notices this with a gasp in surprise. He then sees the green Chaos Emerald acting as the teeter-totter's axel. He jumps off the teeter-totter and carefully takes the emerald from its spot. He happily stands up and admires the emerald in his hand.

"Yep, the Chaos Emeralds _definitely_ do _not_ want Robotnik to collect 'em," he muses.

He puts the emerald in his pocket and rushes down the highway in search for the last two.

A/N:

We're coming to the home stretch! Only two more Chaos Emeralds left and you won't believe how Sonic gets them. 'Til next chapter.


End file.
